01 The Great Litany 02 Bless the Lord, O my Soul 03 Glory be to the Father 04 In Thy Kingdom 05 Come, let us Worship 06 O, Lord 07 The Augmented and Subsequent Litanies 08 The Cherubic Hymn 09 The Litany of Supplication 10 The Creed 11 A Mercy of Peace 12 To Thee We Sing 13 It is Truly Meet 14 The Lord’s Prayer: Our Father 15 The Communion Hymn: Praise the Lord of the Heavens 16 Blessed is He - We Have Seen the True Light 17 May our Mouths be Filled 18 Blessed be the Name of the Lord 19 Glory to the Father

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About this CD

Throughout the history of music, few composers have had such (almost systematic) recourse to feelings as Rachmaninov and used them as the main sustenance for their works. Generally, even the most identifiably Romantic authors occasionally hide or disguise their feelings behind more abstract concepts, which can be summarised by terms such as “thematic construction”, “motif material” and “expressive power”. Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943), however, was not afraid to make eloquent, unambiguous and direct references to the feelings that pervade his pieces in a mixture of agitation and urgency, turning them into moving radiographs of his innermost artistic and human sentiments. Neither does he hesitate to assert the eminently nationalist nature of his output. His Liturgy of St John Chrysostom was composed in 1910 when, at the age of 37, Rachmaninov had just returned from his first American tour, having given a series of recitals in which his Concerto Nº 3 for Piano and Orchestra Op. 30 had been enthusiastically received.

Rachmaninov had always been fascinated by the melodic legacy of the Orthodox Church, a repertoire that he encountered, for example, near Novgorod, one of the main religious centres in the country. He managed to capture the depth of the liturgical text, translating it perfectly into a set of melodies whose simplicity increases their capacity to echo in the listener's mind. With the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom we penetrate the very heart of the spiritual world of Orthodox Russia, where its greatest desires and hopes for eternal life gleam.

In the world of choral music the increasingly higher standards reached in recent years by a number of chamber-sized choirs has been a hugely encouraging development. With every intention and capacity to join such an elite group is Glossa’s recent signing, the Vlaams Radio Koor from Belgium – the Flemish Radio Choir. Although the choir has been in existence for 70 years it is only in the last decade or so that it has been able to move itself from being an all-purpose studio-based operation for broadcasting purposes and raise its standards. Such is its success at home that it now acts as a catalyst for amateur choirs in the Flanders region in areas such as repertoire and performance. Additionally it is organizing projects which will be involving students from various Flemish music conservatories. [read more...]